which oil to use

[MikoDiesela]

Lots of good choices out there! As long as it's VW 507 spec, you're going to be in good hands. Just to list a few options:

1. OEM - VW 0w30 507 oil.
2. Liqui Moly - TopTech 4210 0w30 https://www.liqui-moly.com/en/us/top-tec-4210-sae-0w-30-p005106.html#22156
3. Liqui Moly - TopTech 4200 5w30 https://www.liqui-moly.com/en/us/top-tec-4200-sae-5w-30-new-generation-p000323.html#2004
4. Rowe - 5W30 https://www.rowe-oil.com/en/private.../hightec-multi-synt-dpf-sae-5w-30~p9p5Jo7vJz6
5. Valvoline SynPower XL - 5W30 - https://www.valvolineglobal.com/en-au/synpower-synthetic-engine-oil-xl-iii-5w-30/
6. Valvoline Euro Spec - 0w30. https://www.valvolineglobal.com/en/european-vehicle-full-synthetic-motor-oil/
7. Mobil 1 ESP - 5W30. https://www.mobil.com/en/sap/our-products/products/mobil-1-esp-5w30
8. Castrol EDGE 5W-30 K
9. Castrol EDGE 0W-30 LL

Cost for each is pretty close. At that mileage I would recommend having a good oil analysis done ahead of time. May also be worth doing a good engine oil flush. (Engine oil flush can be a polarizing subject on some forms.)

I'm sure I'm missing quite a few of others, but the ones above seem to be the most popular. Personally I've done OEM VW Oil, Rowe, and LiquiMoly. All seem to work great!

Fun bit of history - VW OEM oil used to be Castrol until a few years ago. OEM VW Oil is now made by ExxonMobil.

in EU VW OEM uses Shell not ExxonMobil and VW OEM oil is not even close to Good oils, it can be more close to basic oils.
In the list above i will put it with number 9. If your car is well maintaned and you live in cold climate u can choose 0W30, if you live in hot climate u can choose 5W30. From that list above i will choose Liqui Moly, more quality oil for TDI. For me the best oil overall is Ravenol, maybe because they are also German brand and always show more proven characteristics of their oils.

 

[tikal]

in EU VW OEM uses Shell not ExxonMobil and VW OEM oil is not even close to Good oils, it can be more close to basic oils.
In the list above i will put it with number 9. If your car is well maintaned and you live in cold climate u can choose 0W30, if you live in hot climate u can choose 5W30. From that list above i will choose Liqui Moly, more quality oil for TDI. For me the best oil overall is Ravenol, maybe because they are also German brand and always show more proven characteristics of their oils.

I believe Rowe - 5W30 is also German and is/was available through one of our long time TDIClub vendor sponsors

 

[GrandPaJohn]

Any opinions on Eurol Syntence 5W-30 ? Seems to be a new brand here in the states. Made in The Netherlands and seems to have slightly higher viscosity than other VW 507 oils.

1L - E100062 | Eurol Syntence 5W-30

Fully synthetic long-life motor oil VW 504.00/507.00; MB 229.52

eurol.com

 

[tikal]

^^^ Personally I would not sweat it too much. If you have a common rail based TDI then 507 approved oils are all pretty much the same robustness. I would buy based on cost, TDIClub vendor sponsors, and so forth.

 

[Rob420p]

I used to use either esp or Valvoline euro both are 507.but blew a push rod at 107k idk how or why but I did buy the car used a few years ago at 62k miles but the oil looked watery as hell when I got it.bur anyway since my warranty engine replacement I've been using 5w 30 toptech and I feel it runs smoother but then again it could just be me.also I have used which isn't on the list motoul 5w 30 before this is with the ops motor and I like that even more but it's harder to get them moly is at least where I live noticed it wasn't in the list ether but it's 504-507 spec also.

 

[turbobrick240]

Pretty hard to blow a pushrod on an overhead cam engine. Must have been a connecting rod.

 

[Funguy]

New mechanic wanted to use Mobil1 ESP 0W-20 VW 509 spec oil in my 2015 Passat.
VW 509 is new to me. Any thoughts on whether that is okay from my TDI especially with summer coming?

I did bring my own 5W-30 VW 507 instead?

 

[turbobrick240]

New mechanic wanted to use Mobil1 ESP 0W-20 VW 509 spec oil in my 2015 Passat.
VW 509 is new to me. Any thoughts on whether that is okay from my TDI especially with summer coming?

I did bring my own 5W-30 VW 507 instead?

Unfortunately, your new mechanic is unqualified. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. Bring your own 507 spec oil if you must use him. Engines that require the 508/509 spec can use 504/507, but not vice versa.

 

[oilhammer]

508.00 is 0w20. That's what most all the newest (gasoline, of course) VAG engines spec. 509 is the new spec for diesels that we don't get. I've never seen a 508 that was a 30, and never seen a 507 that was a 20.

The dealers tend to just switch to whatever the newest oil that meets the spec for that engine, which sometimes does change weights. In this case, it went from a 5w30 to a 0w30. I suspect it won't matter to the engine one way or the other. However, as we've found out, the switch from 5w40 to 5w30 for the 505.01 spec did indeed cause accelerated camshaft wear... but that doesn't apply to the CR engines.

Given the trend towards VAG engines to use some oil, I tend to want to use whatever the thickest grade is that meets the spec for that engine (which is in the manual and on the tag under the hood). In the case of all the CR TDIs sold here, it is 507.00, and I would use a 5w30 that meets that. Plenty are available but you may have to proactively order it from an online source yourself.

 

[MrCypherr]

Then you get the people who are deleted using oil that doesnt meet 507 spec & 5w30 or 10w30. Thats a rabbit hole and a half to go down considering since they dont have a DPF, they can use whatever oil they want.

 

[oilhammer]

Yes, but quite a few cars with many hundreds of thousands of miles on them seem to show that the original spec oil also is perfectly fine in those, too.

At least that has been my experience.

Is there something cheaper to use? Certainly. There's also way cheaper cars to own and operate. If a cost differential on an oil change of five bucks has your George Costanza gland inflamed, then you probably shouldn't own a Volkswagen in the first place.

 

[MrCypherr]

Oh I agree. I usually use 0/5w30 depending whats on sale and easier to get. Brand wise I just stick to whatever VW uses. I know alot of people use T6 in there TDIs once they lose a few parts.

 

[GrandPaJohn]

I have found the best place to get 507/c30 oil is at Advance Auto for the M1 0W30 ESP. $38 for 5 qt jug.
https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p...l-5-quart-47115/12563442-P?selectedStore=7587

 

[Dalon]

If you find yourself missing the emissions equipment also, the Schaeffers 5w40 is excellent oil too

 

[Funguy]

I would use a 5w30 that meets that. Plenty are available but you may have to proactively order it from an online source yourself.

Yeah that is what I did, I brought Castrol LL 5W30 with me. The new mechanic ordered some oil just in case I failed to bring my own. What he ordered (I told him 507) arrived same time I did so I don't know if mechanic made a mistake or the supplier???
I am trying to get away from using the dealerships because of the expense without any benefit I can see. I tried to find 507 oil from VW online and the website said unavailable. Makes me wonder what the dealers are putting in my cars???
THANKS YOU GUYS for clearing this up for me.

 

[MikoDiesela]

What makes Rotella T6 not meet VW507 spec is that it's a 40 weight oil. That said, Rotella T6 is great oil and has the low emissions properties necessary to run in a vehicle with DPF filters, etc.

You may run it and be totally fine and have no issues but since all VW507 spec oils are 30 weight (0w30 or 5w30) it doesn't meet the OEM Spec. Therefore it's a use at your own risk. Might be fine, but not recommended by the manufacturer.

Rotella….Big NO!

 

[MrCypherr]

You go on the TDI facebook groups and Rotella is like a God to them

 

[turbobrick240]

T6 doesn't meet the SAPS or NOACK requirements for the 507 spec either. Not that it isn't a decent oil.

 

[MrCypherr]

I'm just confused on why its so hard just to follow the proper oil specs. If youre buying this cause its like $10-15 cheaper, than maybe you shouldnt be driving a TDI lol.